PRESS CONFERENCE ON 2006 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARDS

PRESS CONFERENCE ON 2006 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARDS

Launching the 2006 International School Awards at Headquarters today, Joaquin Antuña, founder and President of Peace and Cooperation, an international non-governmental organization, said the topic this year was a world without gender violence.

Joining Mr. Antuñaat the press conference were Nancy L. Rivard, President and founder of Airline Ambassadors International, another international non-governmental organization and co-sponsor of the annual worldwide art competition, aimed at inspiring “little people” to think creatively about the “big ideas” that plague the planet.  The organization’s Youth Program Director, Tess Cacciato, also joined the panel.  Fernando Fernández Arias, Head of the Human Rights Office of the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, also made brief remarks.  They were introduced by Faustino Díaz of Spain’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Mr. Antuñafounded Peace and Cooperation in 1982 on the idea that a global movement of non-violence and creativity could build a world of solidarity.  To further that goal, the organization’s focus has been on disarmament, development, human rights, solidarity actions and global peace education.  Its motto is “Create and Survive” and its logo is represented by two doves with an olive branch.  Peace and Cooperation has been linked to the United Nations since its creation.  It received the Peace Messenger Award in 1987 and was granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1999.

Last year, Mr. Antuñaexplained, the global youth art competition engaged schoolchildren worldwide in the aim of ridding the world of violence, following the terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain on 11 March 2005.  The campaign that emerged was a cry for freedom, a cry against terrorism, a cry for a better world, he said.  It was a great success, with thousands of entries from 35 countries. 

Similarly, this year’s campaign was equally important -- a planet without gender violence, he said.  To forge a culture of peace and non-violence, many important women activists from around the world, including the victims, were coming together in an effort that had been endorsed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).  The hope was to help children, students and teachers to envisage a world where men and women were equals, where gender violence, abuse and killing were abolished.  The campaign sought to change ideas beginning in the schools.  In Spain, for example, a woman was killed in a “crime of passion” every third day.  That was “stupid love”, “wrong love”, which must be eradicated. 

American Airlines flight attendant Ms. Rivard said it was appropriate that the campaign was being launched on Valentine’s Day, because it sought to balance passion and equality in relationships between men and women.  The endeavour sought to inspire youth to reflect on that important subject, and the posters designed by children would be distributed even to orphanages in remote communities around the world.  Founded by Ms. Rivard in 1996, Airline Ambassadors provides humanitarian aid to children and families in need, as well as international relief and development to underprivileged communities around the world.

Ms. Rivard’s vision is to give travellers the chance to become a “living link” to the global community, by using their vacations to “bring compassion into action”.  Since its founding, the non-governmental organization has delivered more than $18 million in medicine, medical supplies, school supplies, clothing and food to 44 countries and to children in 15 American cities; escorted more than 1,000 children to new homes or to medical facilities not available in their home countries; and involved 70,000 school children in humanitarian activities.

Ms. Cacciato detailed the rules of the competition, and explained that the jury would meet in Madrid on 24 October, United Nations Day, to judge the competition.  The winners would be honoured on 30 January 2007.  She added that Airline Ambassadors was travelling to Sir Lanka next week to hand over 39 homes and a number of bicycles to victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

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